Author(s): Tony King

Music

The Tastemaker charts the singular life of a man who has been at the beating heart of music's most iconic moments for over sixty years. 'This is a brilliant book by a brilliant man. A magician with perfect taste. Thank God I met him. He is gold dust!' ELTON JOHN Leaving school at the age of sixteen to start his career in the music industry at Decca Records, Tony King would soon find himself becoming a close friend and confidante to some of the world's biggest artists - a far cry from his childhood days in Eastbourne. He has worked with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, Elton John and many more, including Freddie Mercury, whom he spent time with in the Queen frontman's final days. Living in an era of seismic social, technological and cultural transformation, King experienced these defining moments as an influential figure in London and New York's gay scenes. Despite his heady life in showbusiness, however, he would soon learn that a glittering career couldn't shield him from heartbreak - witness to the AIDS crisis and the devastating consequences, his personal life was intermittently marked by tumult and turmoil. Suffused with Tony King's disarming warmth and unparalleled charisma - and at times profoundly moving - The Tastemaker paints an intimate portrait of a music legend and captures the unpredictable world he stamped his indelible mark upon.